Friday, 28 October 2011

SMSL press release on the press conference held on the 28th Oct 2011

SMSL has on the 7th of Oct 2011 met with MITI and ensuing from the meeting MITI has agreed to send a team of officials comprising of various relevant departments to come to Kuantan to conduct a dialogue with the stakeholders concerning the LAMP issue.

We have written to MITI and posted the letter to MITI by express post on the 14th Oct 2011. Till this day we have yet to receive a reply. We hereby urge the department concerned especially MITI to walk their talk and send a team of the officials as promised to come and have an open dialogue with the local stakeholders on the issue. We shall send them a reminder and we hope they will demonstrate their sincerity in carrying out their promise and come to Kuantan to engage in a civil and open dialogue with the residents living around this region.

We have also written to Lynas Malaysia at the local office in Gebeng to start a dialogue with them through an email on the 19th Oct 2011. We understand that Lynas Malaysia has claimed that they had engaged the local residents as required by the IAEA report published on the 30th June and since then they claimed to have engaged 3000 residents inclusive of SMSL representatives.

We wish to state categorically here that we had never been invited nor engaged by Lynas Malaysia since the publication of the IAEA report to have a dialogue with them. We have voluntarily called Lynas Malaysia at the local office here on the 14thOct 2011 to request for a meeting with them concerning the LAMP issue. We subsequently followed up with the email on the 19th Oct after the committee had deliberated and agreed to initiate the move to engage with them. We wholeheartedly believe in civil discourse with any party that has an interest in this issue. We are still waiting for Lynas Malaysia to make a reply.

“1311 FOR OUR FAMILIES” EVENT (13/11/2011 at Taman Gelora, 7.30am)

Meanwhile we believe that people’s wishes should be respected by all parties be it Lynas Malaysia as well as the Government of the day. In order to deliver a clearer message to these parties concerned, we are organizing an event with the theme ‘ For our families…” on the 13th Nov 2011. On this day we call upon all families in Kemaman, Gebeng, Balok , Kuantan and Gambang to come forth and gather at the Taman Gelora to demonstrate peacefully their stand on the LAMP issue!

We urge them to wear the SMSL T shirts to say NO to the LAMP! We urge all residents and individuals who love their home and family to come forward and tell our government that we don not want LAMP! We want to send the similar message to the Australian Government and Lynas Australia that we DO NOT WANT LYNAS TO BE AROUND OUR NEIGHBOURHOOD NOR ANYWHERE IN MALAYSIA! We want them to know even if our government has no will to stop the project we will endeavor all we can to stop it from operating! We call upon all supporters who share the same goal to stop Lynas to come forward to walk their talk and demonstrate to the authorities that we will do anything within our means to stop this toxic project that will leave behind millions of tons of solid wastes that are radioactive and full of heavy metals that will eventually seep into the waterway and end up on our dinner table through the food chain!

Wednesday, 19 October 2011

We are proud announce the launch of Save Malaysia, Stop Lynas!'s newly refurbished website. (Version 3.0). It has the same contents and layout albeit with a few cosmetic changes to cope with the ever-changing times. We now have larger text fonts, a fresh backdrop and a brand new header! Feel free to stay and browse. Get to know our issues up-close and learn why the people of Kuantan and the rest of Malaysia do not welcome Lynas Corporation and their rare earth plant in their beloved land. Let's Save the Future Generation of Malaysia together by Stopping Lynas!

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

Recently through facebook and press statements by our people’s representative YB Fuziah, questions were raised as to whether Lynas has begun their shipment of Rare Earth ores (REO) to the kuantan port . The relevant authorities and Lynas have come out with their own statements to deny the claim.

SMSL has also received calls by concerned citizens regarding the same. We did an investigation and we
wish to inform the public that

1. REO cannot be shipped into Kuantan port without a permit from AELB

2. It will be shipped from Freemantle in WA to Singapore for transshipment before it reaches Kuantan port.

3. It will be labeled as radioactive once it reaches Kuantan Port but will not be Considered as radioactive anywhere along the route.

4. It will come in containers and be carted away immediately from the ship to the factory once it reaches the port after it has received custom clearance.

The above clarifies how the REO will be shipped into Kuantan Port. To this date, AELB has yet to come out and openly admit that the required permit has been obtained by Lynas Malaysia. Therefore the claim by parties that REO will be here by end of this month can only be confirmed by AELB as they are instrumental in allowing the REO to be imported.

We hereby call upon AELB and MITI to reaffirm their claim that they have NOT given any licenses including the pre operating license to Lynas. Any preemptive moves by Lynas or covert attempts by AELB or MITI in this matter will be construed as a grave betrayal of the trust of the people. The whole of Gebeng , Balok, Kemaman and Kuantan residents shall hold the AELB and MITI wholly responsible!

MITI and AELB have openly admitted that they have received the submissions by Lynas on the RIA, decommissioning and long term waste management plans in July and they have openly claimed to have rejected these documents as inadequate or unsatisfactory as we were told when we met MITI and AELB on the 7th Oct 2011. If MITI and AELB were to make themselves more credible to the people here they will have to be more open, more transparent and willing to answer questions by the affected residents and provide all information on whatever matters that are related to the Lynas plant. The port authority briefing concerning the impending import of REO is merely a standard port operating procedure but without more detail info from the relevant authorities like AELB and MITI, the whole of Kuantan, Gabeng, Balok and Kemaman have been put on the jitters. This is totally unacceptable. We hereby strongly urge the AELB and MITI to come out and openly declare that non of the licenses as required to import the REO and the pre-operation of the plant have been granted or issued to Lynas Malaysia!

The Lynas issue has advanced to the stage where people are beginning to lose faith on the ability and intent of the government and regulating authorities to safeguard their interests. SMSL has taken the initiative to study the option of bringing the case to court and we have our legal experts currently studying the best option available before we act. We urge all residents to be patient as any legal recourse has to be taken in
full accordance to the country’s judicial system. Rest assured that when the time comes we shall act.

SMSL has come a long way since its inception in March. During the course of this short journey, we have in our main focus to stop the operation of Lynas Advance Materials organized activities that helped to bring awareness to the people here. In the midst of our enthusiasm to advance this cause, some of our
committee members or supporters might have inadvertently or without any malice offended parties and
individuals in our interactions with them. We hereby sincerely apologize to these parties and individuals for our mistakes and we hope such incidents will serve to keep us on guard at all times to be more circumspect of proper demeanors and protocols. We believe apologizing does not mean that we are totally wrong and others are totally right, it just means that we value our relationship more than our ego!

The moment has come ...the time is now! The people has spoken. Awaiting to be listened. Our future lies in the hands of the decision makers. After months of protest, Kuantan, a peaceful town in the east coast of Malaysia woke up to yet another limelight. The Earth Charter, a non profit organisation initiated a Himpunan Hijau 109’ . This is a platform for all citizen groups to come together and voice out their concerns.

Among the groups that took part were SMSL, BADAR, TNB High Tension Cables Protesters from Rawang, Bukit Koman Cyanide Protestors, Orang Asli Group and Cameron Highlands Group.

The crowd started to build up as early as 6.00am. Despite the morning drizzle and police road blocks, the people of Kuantan came in droves. Most of them wearing anti-Lynas t-shirts, caps, badges or whatever they can find with anti-Lynas message. Some even printed mini anti-Lynas’ flags. The atmosphere was incredible! People of all races and ages converged to Taman Gelora with one objective in mind. VIPs arrived as early as 6.15am. Notable ones include Datuk Ambiga Sreevanesan, Mr. Wong Tuck, Maria Chin Abdullah, Dr. Kua Kia Soong and Prof Tan Kah Keng .

Banners and placards were everywhere. The carnival like atmosphere was indescribable! This is the largest protest gathering Kuantan has seen!

Besides all the VIPs, other notable figures seen at the gathering were the Teruntum ADUN YB Chang Hong Seong and Kuantan MP YB Fuziah Salleh.

The build up towards this Himpunan Hijau has been an evenful one. The authorities shockingly revoked the permit of this gathering which was issued a few days earlier at the eleventh hour. Nevertheless, the gathering went on smoothly without any disturbance or chaos.

At 7.00am sharp, the thunderous drums beating from various ethnic groups welcome the sunrise. Follow by the hand stamping on the Himpunan Hijau scroll banners by VIPs and all participants from throughout the countries. Three participants from Klang rode on their bicycle for 3 days before arriving at Kuantan for this event. The event was widely covered by several foreign broadcasting medias. By 9.15am. police moved in to disperse the crowd after all groups involved voiced out their concerns. The crowd mingled around and most of them dispersed orderly and peacefully by 10.30 am.

To all those present , this will be an event to be remembered for a long long time.

Saturday, 8 October 2011

SMSL noted with grave concern the recent statements by Lynas lately in its report to
shareholders that it has submitted the long term waste management and decommissioning
plan to AELB and the government of Malaysia. It had also claimed that a new RIA report,
which is one of the requirements that Lynas has to fulfill as recommended by IAEA panel has
also been submitted to the relevant authorities of Malaysia.

We and all residents living within the 30km radius of LAMP hereby call upon the
Government of Malaysia to openly admit or refute the claims in the statements by Lynas
Australia in its report to its shareholders.

Should Lynas by making a false statements/declaration to its shareholders it would
constitute a very serious misrepresentation and deception and it should be held legally
accountable. A complaint can be made to the ASX on this matter.

We hereby strongly urge the relevant ministry/authorities concern to openly state whether
the documents have been submitted to them. If it has, then as promised by the MITI
Minister ie Dato’ Mustapha in one of his press conferences last month, the government
should allow the public to have full access to the documents forthwith!

The Government should be thoroughly transparent in a matter that affects the lives of
700,000s of people and it is the sacrosanct duty of the government to answer to people’s
request or else the people would lose confidence on the government. This mammoth project
of LAMP has cast a long shadow over the continued existence and the harmonious calm
and prosperity of the people living its vicinity. Failing to answer the call of the people on
an issue that has tremendous long term consequences, fallout and ill effects on the health,
safety, social and economic welfare of the people here will constitute the greatest act of
irresponsibility that can be committed by a government on its own people ! Governments
are elected to protect its own people and here we have doubts about whether we have a
government that is sworn to protect us!

We in SMSL hereby call upon all Malaysians especially those living within the 30km radius,
to come forth on the 9th Oct Sunday at 6 am in the morning to gather in SOLIDARITY at the
Taman Gelora, Kuantan to deliver a strong and unmistakable message to our government
That WE AND THE FUTURE GENERATIONS WANT TO LIVE IN A HAZARDS FREE HEALTHY
ENVIROMENT. The People have had enough of misinformation, closed door sessions and
empty promises! We have every right to demand the government of the day that we elect
to protect our environment! Failing which we shall exercise our right to vote to execute a
CHANGE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF A BETTER AND SAFER MALAYSIA!

COME ONE COME ALL FOR YOUR CHILDREN AND FOR A BETTER TOMORROW! REMEMBER
THE CHOICE IS OURS!